<p>Both great schools, great reputations. Could anyone give me their opinion son the schools, and or personal experiences? If possible, is there a better choice? Any input is welcome!!</p>
<p>PSU and IU are similar in a lot of ways, although the former is more established and the latter is a newer program. Which one is closer to home? Which one is closer to NYC? (Yes I know; just asking in case it’s important to you.) Which one gave you the best financial deal? Hopefully you saw some shows or sat in on classes - how do they compare in that way? Did you get to speak with any voice teachers? I’m sure they’d be able to arrange a phone call, at least. Have you seen the season for next year at both schools? Does it matter to you the type of shows they tend to produce? You are in a great position! Best wishes.</p>
<p>The training at Penn State is excellent!!! IU is new, not really talking with the music school a whole lot, and not the gem of the university in the same way Penn state’s is. BUT they have a history of great musicians so theatre may catch up.</p>
<p>VT</p>
<p>Thanks! It’s a big choice!</p>
<p>S chose Indiana U. over BoCo last year and has not been disappointed. I’d suggest if a trip to one or both schools would help make up your mind, to do that, take voice lesson, visit with current students via facebook. private message me if you guys would like input from my S who is wrapping up his freshman year. visitors to IU campus this year included Tony Kushner, casting agents of some renown and songwriter John Bucchino. IU is currently in the second week of its spring musical run of “Cabaret” Tuesday thru Saturday in the coming week if seeing a show would help.
S voice teacher is from Jacobs music school, he also takes extra dance classes with dance majors in that dept.
IU’s flexibility in crafting the MT BFA in ways that help the individual student has been impressive.
they are adding a second MT dance professor in the fall to complement MT program and choreographer George Pinney’s skills.
season next year includes Spring Awakening, Sunday in the Park with George.
Plus, the school’s drama, theater dept for which MT students can also audition for plays has built a strong reputation, ranking (for what it is worth) in one recent highly publicized Top 10 along with Carnegie Mellon and others.</p>
<p>My D is a junior at Penn State and could not be happier with the program. As Regine suggested, you should visit both programs if at all possible. When my D chose PSU, she visited first, and was able to take a voice lesson, sit in on a reahearsal for the musical, participate in a couple of dance classes, and spend time with several current students. When she left home to go visit, she was very much leaning toward UCLA (she was actually still waiting to hear from UCLA at that point, and was eventually accepted). UCLA is local for us and she had visited repeatedly, participated in classes, and was in love with their program! By the time she returned from her trip to PSU, the tables had turned and she ended up accepting their offer before she even got word about UCLA. She has never regretted the decision and feels that the PSU program is custom made for her! It would be nice if you are able to visit the programs and see how they “fit” for you.</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted to IU’s Musical Theatre program in addition to several other reputable schools. She visited again this past weekend, and George Pinney did a wonderful job showcasing his program. She saw an acting class, had a voice lesson, and attended a musical theatre dance class. She had a personal tour of the entire facility and saw the dorm most MTs live in. She loves the IU campus. She went to the Friday night performance of Cabaret and thought it was wonderful. She met lots of the current BFA students, and they were very welcoming to her. By the end of the weekend, it was very clear where she would be spending the next four years.</p>
<p>but truly, I don’t think she could have made a poor choice either way with PSU or IU.
when our S visited Penn State, the program director Mr. C. Lipkin was very helpful and gracious with his time. S sat in on a MT song workshop class showcasing work by their seniors at the time, saw a dance class, etc.
but it is hard to beat George Pinney as a salesman for the Indiana program and as someone who works hard to meet and exceed individual student’s needs.
very happy for u guys</p>
<p>oops. I now see that KC0105 was deciding among several schools, principally Baldwin Wallace and Indiana. confused the poster’s a bit in my haste.
but good choice in my book nonetheless – and another case of not really going wrong no matter what the decision had been.</p>
<p>^^^^Agreed- don’t think the OP can go wrong with either school. You are lucky to have such great choices! It really should boil down to personal fit. Best wishes, wherever you end up!</p>
<p>Regine - She also was accepted to NYU Tisch and wait listed at BOCO.<br>
Takeitallin - I do believe it is very much about fit. I am glad she went back for a second visit before deciding. Her father and I are very happy with her decision. A big state school with a reputable program can give you the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Thrilling time; mom and dad miss the campus visits more than S. now, we are out of it, chuckle. (though we do still pay the bills.) We do get to see Cabaret next weekend though. your daughter may also want to check out Bloomington Playwrights Project when she gets to town there in the fall. It is a small company that works closely with IU students and local professionals on new works. Jesse Eisenberg wrote one part of a multi-play piece they put on last fall called Bombshell and S and two other IU students were in it. fun company to work with outside of school.</p>